In 1917 a young Pedro Pavone-Voglino left his homeland in Italy’s Piamonte wine region and embarked upon the long journey to the New World. His pioneering spirit led him to Chile and allowed him to come to know the beauty and benefits of the Maipo Valley. Pavone Family Captivated by the area’s landscape and its particular qualities for wine production, he decided to settle there and acquired the land that is now Viña Santa Ema in 1931. He began producing grapes for vinification, which, due to their quality were sold to well-known Chilean wineries. He married Marta Arbea Perrot in the small town of Isla de Maipo, where their children and descendents still live today. In 1956, ‘Don’ Pedro and his oldest son, Félix Pavone-Arbea, began making and marketing bottled wines that soon earned recognition by the industry and consumers alike. Félix Pavone continued the work of his father, married Catalina Moreno, settled into the family home in Isla de Maipo and had Read more »

In 1917 a young Pedro Pavone-Voglino left his homeland in Italy’s Piamonte wine region and embarked upon the long journey to the New World. His pioneering spirit led him to Chile and allowed him to come to know the beauty and benefits of the Maipo Valley. Pavone Family Captivated by the area’s landscape and its particular qualities for wine production, he decided to settle there and acquired the land that is now Viña Santa Ema in 1931. He began producing grapes for vinification, which, due to their quality were sold to well-known Chilean wineries. He married Marta Arbea Perrot in the small town of Isla de Maipo, where their children and descendents still live today. In 1956, ‘Don’ Pedro and his oldest son, Félix Pavone-Arbea, began making and marketing bottled wines that soon earned recognition by the industry and consumers alike. Félix Pavone continued the work of his father, married Catalina Moreno, settled into the family home in Isla de Maipo and had four children: María Cecilia, Félix, Rossana, and Pilar, who have all actively worked in the winery since their youth. In the late 1960s the winery purchased a significant amount of land in the Peumo sector of the Cachapoal Valley. This area is particularly known for its high quality red varietals, such as Carignan, Carignan, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and, of course, Carmenère. The company’s first exports began in 1986 with shipments to Brazil. Today Santa Ema wines are exported to more than 30 countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The primary market is the United States, where Santa Ema is consistently among the top 10 Chilean wineries in terms of sales. In Chile, Santa Ema has earned a solid position by becoming one of the highest-selling Chilean wineries in restaurants, hotels, and wine shops. El Peral In 2003 the company inaugurated its modern new El Peral vinification facility in Isla de Maipo, surrounded by 50 hectares of estate vineyards. The 3.2 million-liter winery is equipped with the highest technology available for fine wine production and is widely recognized as a local landmark. Over the years, Santa Ema has been recognized by the most important national and international organizations and has earned numerous medals in competitions such as the Concours Mundial de Bruxelles and distinctions in prestigious international trade magazines. It was recently named to the Wine Spectator’s list of Top 20 World’s Finest Value Brands, Wine Advocate rated four Santa Ema wines above 90 points, and Wine & Spirits named it Value Winery of the Year. But for Santa Ema, the most important distinction of all is the preference of its consumers around the world to appreciate the work of three generations dedicated to the production of consistently high quality wines.

Merlot never ceases to amaze me, it marries its terroir but keeps it charms. This one is an intriguing wine I found challenging to describe. Nose of creamy shredded vegetables, sweet compost, and "frosted fruit cookies". On the attack same frosted c...

Dark ruby in color, with an intense nose of blackberries and a touch of cocoa. A bold concentrated wine, with a powerful mouth feel, good tannic structure and a lovely freshness; it shows layers of ripe black fruit (blackberry, blueberry and blackcurra...

Intensely aromatic with oak and vanilla notes competing with assertive vegetal, herbal dried tomato aromas. There's some low wild berry and currant fruit here as well but this is not fruit driven, though it is very complex. Soft and broad in the mouth...

My Rating: 89. This wine is full bodies ,fruity with a strong taste of oak. it seems to need a little time in the bottle. Tannins are uneven. The nose is almost the same as the taste; oak berries and some complex melange but some how not very elegant .

This was my first foray into the carmenere variety, and I can see why its widely regarded as a blending grape. The flavor is just a hair off, though this wine was very far from unenjoyable. If you happen to be a fan of carmenere I'm sure you will LOVE this offering. Very dark and ripe with plenty of balancing acid. An abundance of berries ac...
Read More

I had it last night, and frankly, I never had this varietal as it seem to be not produced as much as it used to be. It was very subtle with a medium finish. Easy drinking and it left me wanting more. Today I ordered a case as this varietal can only get better with age. I found it for under 20 with tax but I had to pick it up in NJ. Go figur...
Read More

had the Santa Ema SB tonight at a local Thai rest. Thought it was a little rich, but great overall. Good balance of fruit, (pear, white grape) and acidity. A nice white with fish, shrimp, chicken. A great buy for a restaurant wine; great price for where we were. It was a nice fit for the meal. Hope I can find it retail locally.
Read More